The first ebikes that the WS Family owned were from circa 2001 and once they developed a difficult to diagnose and dangerous problem in the motor controllers, they were relegated to occasional use solely by our resident electrical engineer! The Currie Mountain ebike is a good general purpose bike that we used and just removed the battery pack and ignored the electric motor on left of the bike. In mid-2009, we came across an article that detailed problems with a particular motor control "throttle" commonly used on electric bikes (ebikes) and eScooters, we found the fix to the problems! Since then, we have accumulated 3 more ebikes and an eScooter. Our stable of bikes is summarized here in reverse chronological order that we acquired them.
After the museum demonstrations of 2013, and given the impending arrival of the ELF Personal/Light Electric Vehicle (PEV/LEV) we began selling off the newer model ebikes (Via Rapido, newer Currie Trailz) and some non ebikes (Dahon folding bikes) and deciding on what to do for demonstrations in the future. Before a trip to Wilmington to assist our older daughter with her move to college, a Craigslist ad for a UK made ebike caught our attention. This Powabyke Shopper is the perfect step-through style for many people who attended our museum demonstration! Neither of our kids will be caught riding this "granny ebike" as they called it, but after arranging to see this amazing condition ebike, we also arranged to purchase it for 1/2 of the asking price. That was easy to do since the batteries were dead, wouldn't take a charge, and had a UK 240v adapter with the charger so we couldn't even attempt to charge the batteries!
This ebike was in immaculate condition after being transported during a move of a US armed forces officer from the UK back to the US. However no one had ever kept the batteries charged, so the nearly 40lb gel cells would not even take an attempt at a desulphating charge. The 6 speed rapid shifter, and decent other components all test out great, and the motor did respond when I managed to get the batteries to take enough charge to raise the 36v pack to 32v for a minute or two. So we got this ebike in part to allow for the many visitors who needed a step-through design to try out an ebike. Besides, we just can't stand having a good quality ebike tossed out!
Pros:
Well built ebike for "Shopper" use as advertised
very usable front basket and rear rack and
6 speed Shimano speed shifter and derailleur
"Step-through" design favored by people who may not be able to raise their leg to ride a mixte frame
Comfortable seat and upright riding position for the heavier rider
Very well done user guide and repair manuals available online from powabyke.com
Easy access to open the battery pack for installing replacement of batteries
Battery pack has an external test connection for each 12v gel cell
ideal for installing LiFePO4 gel cell replacements and keeping track of them!
Replacing the 12v14AH gel cells with LiFePO4 12v10AH, the battery pack is now 16lb!!
HiPower brand charger includes an internal switch to 120v and accepted standard NEMA cord for 12v North America power outlets
Cons:
OK, this one is NOT a stylish ebike to impress lycra clad cyclists!
Some components such as the seat and seat post, and swept back handlebars are not stylish!
The 36v 14AH pack is just over 40lb!
Front hub motor and underpowered at 250w
Not easily demonstrated on an exercise stand as the motor power is applied to the front wheel and human power to the rear (OK, we could use a set of rollers, but the idea here is for an easily demonstrated ebike to NON cyclists!
This model has the 24" wheels, though 26" wheel models are available
Parts for the electrical circuitry will have to be special ordered from the UK
Currie iZip Via Rapido (2011)
2011 iZip Via Rapido
Approaching Mark's birthday in 2011, we were faced with many repairs to two ebikes prior to annual EWeekdemonstrations for K-12 kids and their parents at the regional Science Museum mid-August. We realized that the "men's style" high center tube ebikes were not comfortable for a lot of people to try even when mounted on an exercise bike stand. We have all of the parts on hand to do repair and maintenance to this Currie eZip Mountain Trailz ebike, but struggle to get enough working hours to prep it for demonstration. Also, whenever we remove the battery to show to people, they are really shocked, and turned off, by how heavy the lead acid (SLA) battery packs are on all the Currie demo bikes (Trailz, Mountain ebike, and eFolder). The Giant LaFree has very difficult to locate components, so we don't demonstrate with it.
While looking through Craigs List for a replacement motor bracket for the Trailz, we found a local person who had traded for a Currie iZip Via Rapido "mixte" ebike. This ebike has a very nice, quiet hub motor and a very light 24V10Ah Lithium Ion (not LiFePO4) battery pack mounted on a far more aesthetically pleasing, smooth operating, and very balanced bicycle frame. This ebike looked brand new as the owner had traded for this Via Rapido but he wasn't given the keys to remove the battery pack and was told that would be a $450 expense (new battery pack plus keys). He didn't want to keep an ebike, so was willing to sell this $1300+ ebike for a quarter of its retail value.
The very next day after purchase, my daughter was riding this ebike all around town with me and somehow she hit a nail that wedged itself into the sidewall of the rear tire (where the hub motor is). This was the first actual flat on the road on a bike for me in more than 25 years! Many a slow leak, but first flat in a quarter century. Though I carry gear with me to repair bikes, it was a good thing we happened to be within a few blocks of a local bike shop. After I vainly attempted to pump and insert Stans tube goo to re-inflate the rear tire, we walked our bikes over to get the tire repaired at Back Alley Bikes in Chapel Hill. This was a VERY interesting and inexpensive experience. Net is the Via Rapido has a very easily removed rear tire and rear motor connectors. In 2011 Currie changed to a 700 x 38c tire with a pre-loaded slime tube from 26 x 1.375" in prior versions. Now I see why bike repair guys don't like dealing with slime, it's a mess to cleanup!. They recommended Stans sealant instead of Slime, so we had the bike repair guy put in a new tube with Stans sealant. After this we also got a pair of reinforced, belted tires for the Via Rapido.
Upside of the Via Rapido:
Well placed and very easily removable Lithium Ion battery pack
Relatively light bike with well integrated, decent quality bicycle components
When found for a significant discount off list price it is a great value in an ebike with a Lithium power pack
Hub motor is pretty quiet, and has been very reliable, though low power (250w)
Tight fit, but Planet Bike Hardcore Hybrid fenders do work (Hardcore ATB fenders do NOT fit)
The only downsides for this ebike:
the custom rack doesn't accept my pannier clips, then neither does the Currie Trailz series!
Many people who see our ebikes ask about actually getting one, and about test riding them. Some of the ebikes we have are difficult to find parts for, but we really want to allow people to test ride when possible. So we thought about a way to allow people to test ride and refer them to an actual available, inexpensive ebike. Again, while perusing Craigslist, found a local guy selling a Currie eZip Mountain Trailz (2010 model) ebike in 2012 and again in 2013 got another Currie eZip Trailz (almost identical except silver/grey 2011 model instead of red, white, and blue.
The eZip Mountain Trailz and eZip Trailz are selling in the discount stores on sale (Target and WalMart carry these) for under $450. Though you do get what you pay for, these are serviceable ebikes for modest use. We now have a Currie eZip Mountain Trailz ebike and an Ascend stationary trainer so we can actually let people test ride an ebike which they can try out "in place". Note there are several models of "Trailz" ebikes, this is the higher end model with Red, White, and Blue paint and matching RWB logo on the seat. The grey one is the base Trailz model which has a bit less sophisticated components, but thankfully, lacks the brazed on useless side swing out kickstand.
The positives on the Mountain Trailz:
basic but serviceable components
very common parts, readily available both from regional dealers and online
Planet Bike Hardcore ATB fenders fit well
Pedal Assist mode as well as throttle-only mode for electric assist
Battery pack can be upgraded with "gel cell" replacement LiFePO4 batteries
Some downsides to the Mountain Trailz:
a single lead acid (SLA) battery pack on the rack tends to unbalance the bike, however putting a pannier on the other side, or an additional SLA pack puts it back in balance
the SLA battery pack is heavy (15lb)
the bike itself is heavy (68lb!)
This Mountain Trailz has a few problems: status of repairs:
battery pack wasn't holding but about 25% of expected charge. The battery appeared to be sulphated, running a BatteryMINDer 24v charger which has a desulphating mode for a couple of weeks restored the battery pack to about 65% capacity according to a battery life tester (ELK BLT). The battery pack is easy to open up and install replacement SLA batteries, with just a bit of soldering on the 4 push-on 0.250" battery connectors. These SLA batteries go for about $20 each, two fit in the custom battery pack. So far still using the originals after using reconditioning charger for weeks.
A set of Clean Republic CR1210 LiFePO4 batteries fit in the pack, but the current ratings on the CR1210 "bamboo" batteries leads us to move them to the Powabyke instead.
axle cups were not well adjusted, and there was very little grease in any of the main bearings. Could have spend $125 or so to have a full lube at a bike shop, instead working this piece by piece which is taking several months to complete but is a learning experience for my daughter! There was some damage to some of the threaded bearing cups, looks like this was run on a beach. Fortunately it was the adjustable bearing cup on the axle that was damaged and a local bike shop had replacement cups for $2 each.
tires included were knobby mountain trail tires, awful for using on a trainer. Changed to Biria Puncture resistant tires. Note: most new ebikes that are cruisers or even "mountain bike" styles do NOT use knobby mountain bike tires anymore, substituting a road tire with Slime pre-installed is now standard, though we recommend Stans Sealant over Slime.
controller connector to motor doesn't allow for easy removal of motor to access the rear wheel. Changing the connectors to Anderson PowerPole 45A and replacing many cable ties with velcro straps now allows for much more rapid removal of the motor assembly.
the motor gear reducer assembly needed re-lubricating, so added Phil Wood grease to the area where the separate chain for the motor drive and the motor sprocket meet.
Work on the Trailz shows that many more minutes of repair results in a serviceable ebike. With an extra RMB battery pack, range is good and LiFePO4 is an option for ~$200. I used the Trailz for a couple of years as the 2nd most frequently used commuting ebike behind the Giant LaFree even though it has some lower end components.
While researching other light Personal EV options for our family mid 2010, I came across a Craig's List ad for a 2006 Giant LaFree Lite ebike. This is a relatively light, sturdy, and well kept bike that has a novel chain drive EV system and 24V 6.5Ah NiMH battery with custom charger. The 4 speed hub has surprising range of gearing and can accept different rear sprockets for different gearing ranges.
Now I had no expectation that the battery would hold a charge long, but it did and during a test ride I found out why this bicycle was so highly regarded when it was introduced. This is a very basic bike but extremely well made. After some quick negotiation the Giant LaFree Lite was added to the stable of WS Family ebikes for 1/5 of it's listed price. This ebike did need a new battery about a year later (early 2011), but it can be adapted to use a NiMH external 24V pack originally purchased for the Currie ebikes. It had no accessories, but now sports a rack, Planet Bike fenders, removable front and rear CatEye lights, and in an attempt to make long rides more comfortable for my hands, a set of Forte T2 Aerobars. The LaFree Lite fits a standard bike rack on a car or bus. This is great for a bike/bus commute since it is about 10lb lighter than the Currie Mtn ebike and the battery is VERY easily removed. I have ordered a cover since the bikes I've carried on the car rack have some dings and minor bent components from road debris.
Giant Electric bike
One major difference between this Giant LaFree and all the other ebikes we've seen and tested: there is NO electric "throttle" control on this bike! When a switch is clicked on, the motor kicks in to assist the rider only when a sensor detects the extra torque power from the motor is needed on the drive chain! The motor kicks out when the bike's electronics sense the assistance is no longer needed. This assistance is different in every gear, so the bike takes some getting used to.
The picture to the right is of the newer version of same ebike. The only real problem: kickstand is broken off and nearly broke a 7mm hex wrench trying to get the kickstand bolt out using an easy out tool to extract the old kickstand. Then it was an easily solved problem by ordering and installing a rear mount kick stand.
Pros:
Very well integrated components and smooth to ride bicycle!
Planet Bike Full ATB fenders fit; the Hardcore ATB do not
Very well made bicycle
Cons:
Limited range if relying upon the pedal assist constantly in a hilly area; you MUST use the on/off switch frequently.
Currie iZip 500 eScooter (2009)
Currie eZip/iZip 500 Scooter
In 2009, while hauling some of our no longer used garage goodies the Salvage Shed at the local recycling center, we found a person getting rid of what looked like a perfectly good iZip 500 scooter depicted to the right. This is largely the same 24V SLA powered rear Currie drive scooter still for sale today as the eZip 500. This scooter seemed to be in excellent condition save for very little charge on the two battery packs. The woman donating them to the salvage shed told a tale of her husband no longer able to use the scooter because of a physical problem keeping his balance. With our younger daughter we offered to take this and make it part of our EWeek education projects.
It turned out there was a bit of maintenance required including a throttle controller that had the same problems noted below with the 2002 Currie Mountain ebike and 2002 eFolder. Cycle9 in Carrboro estimated, and quickly completed about $100 of repairs and installed a new tube in the rear wheel (which is a royal pain to remove), Meanwhile, I rebuilt the two battery packs with (almost) new SLA batteries and the scooter now works great! Except now we see why eScooters are a great novelty, but not terribly practical in a relatively hilly area such as around Chapel Hill, NC. Unlike ebikes where a significant amount of energy to move you and your e-vehicle CAN be delivered by the person, on an eScooter you are very hard pressed to do anything but walk it up hills if the battery runs down. Range is much less than claimed (then again these are almost new SLA batteries), so around 5-7 miles here is tops. Bring a charger with you wherever you go!
Though not terribly practical, the eScooter gets a LOT of attention, especially from middle school kids! We are struggling to figure out how to have eScooter demonstrations to large numbers of people who want to ride the thing! For the ebikes, an exercise stand works great. and allows us to offer in place, safe test rides without actually having the person ride off. We have no equivalent that we've been able to work out for the eScooter; ideas anyone?
Pros:
Compatible drive train, electronics, and motors with earlier Currie USPD 24V ebikes
Very sturdy design, actually can carry 165lb person with some groceries in a backpack at 13-15mph for a few miles on level ground
Cons:
Very heavy for a scooter!
24V SLAs are good for 2 years, perhaps 3. Though easily swapped for other SLA batteries available locally for under $40, most people are not going to de-solder and resolder the wires to the battery terminals!
the SLA packs are NOT compatible with the ebikes, even though they share the same battery pack connector and same voltage. The eScooter has a separate controller as do the newer Currie eZip/iZip ebikes. Older ebike USPD had the controller integral to the motor and relied upon a switch, fuse, and surge suppression from simple circuitry in the battery pack. Learned this one the hard way!
Currie eFolder (2001)
Folded Currie eFolder
In 2001 we acquired a Currie Technology brand USPD drive Folding Bike (20in wheels) with 24V 10Ah AGM, silver motor (250W?) and "Feel the Power" logo. The 3 bolt mount motor had a separate left hand sprocket chain drive on a custom rear hub. Now working again, the temporary fix of having to know to pull the throttle control back past the "zero" point to stop the motor is no longer needed to safely ride the ebike! We found several sources for replacement 5k ohm throttle controls and purchased one for each Currie ebike and the eZip/iZip 500 eScooter. After purchasing and installing the new throttle control, the problem went away and we resumed using this and the Currie Mountain ebikes, especially for local errands.
A replacement 400W motor was installed in 2005 after an "oops" fried the replacement motor and a battery pack was updated with new SLAs in 2009. We also picked up a 1000W (1KW) motor and controller that can accept 24V-48V in early 2011, but this requires customization to install the separate controller and would really benefit from having more than a single 24V battery pack, so we deferred install and testing of the 1KW motor.
Summary of this ebike:
Pros:
Rear mount battery pack is quickly and easily removed for stowing and carrying
7 speed derailleur works well and with motor assist this is a great travel bike for street riding
Custom rack accepts all the small panniers we've tried
Pack is easily retrofitted with Lithium or NiMH batteries. We used a Nilar NiMH until that battery developed a leak of internal working fluid.
"standard" motor mount accepts several other manufacturers motors, though requiring an external controller not needed with the Currie USPD motor
Cons:
As with many Currie SLA drives, the battery pack is quite a bit heavier (~13lb for 24v) than most people are willing to put up with
Getting a longer seat tube is a very expensive proposition, this bike is really suited for a rider under 6' tall.
In 2001 we also acquired a Currie Technology brand USPD drive Mountain Bike (20in frame, 26in wheels, 3sp front and 7 speed rear derailleur) a 24V12Ah SLA frame mounted battery pack and a black Lollmorgan motor with "Currie Electric Drive" logo (400W). The pictured ebike is the Rayos version of the same ebike and is still available today! This ebike is the most flexible ebike we own! Bests a 6 yr old Trek and an ancient custom Raleigh that I had customized over the years. On this ebike, the motor used to "jump" after turning on the power switch and the trick above doesn't work with the control. With a new throttle control, and a replacement motor (because of unfortunate incident with Currie eScooter power pack noted above), it now works like new. This was our younger daughter's favorite ebike until acquiring the Via Rapido.
As a test, installed the new throttle now working on the Currie eFolder on Mtn ebike and it works even more smoothly on the Mountain ebike. The new throttle completely eliminated the problem with the old control of having to pull back past the "0" position to get the motor to stop. Ordered a second throttle control and a Nilar NiMH battery pack, which requires some small amount of metal cutting to fit in one of the Currie 24V ebikes rack mount battery packs. We will also adapt it for the Giant Lite below.
We had a problem with the original kickstands, which were not able to hold the bike up when loaded and with the auxiliary 24V8Ah pack on the rack, so installed a heavy duty (and heavy) center stand. Doing so required us to avoid using the original brazed-in kick stand plate which broke under the extra weight of the center stand! Until the Currie Via Rapido was acquired, it was hard to keep our younger daughter off this thing! Neat to see she likes it so much, since it does run rings around the LaFree Lite that her Dad usually rides. Given the throttle style of control on the Currie ebikes, it is tempting to ride these like scooters rather than in pedal assist mode.
Pros:
Excellent torque, and good range due to the large, and relatively heavy frame mounted 24V12Ahr battery pack
Decent components, including suspension seat post and front fork suspension
"standard" motor mount accepts several other manufacturers motors, though requiring an external controller not needed with the Currie USPD motor
Cons:
Frame mount battery pack used a special key. If lost, it could take awhile to get the battery pack removed and make it very difficult to secure the pack to the frame later
24v SLA could have been a 36v or even 48v system using different batteries and motor/controller combinations
Controller is integrated into the motor, so a controller failure requires replacing the whole motor/controller unit
Non Electric Bicycles
Over the years, we have retained two other non-electric folding bikes and two bomber bikes that we still use:
1970s vintage 16" wheel Dahon 3sp folder, nice to ride and easy to transport after rehab at Cycle9 in Carrboro NC in 1Q2010! Though ungainly looking, this bike actually gives a very nice ride and fits in a small space in the trunk of a car.
2001 Dahon Boardwalk 20" 7sp folder. Design is still in production, though the single speed version is the most popular. This is a much more usable folding bike than the Dahon 3sp 16". Tradeoff is that when packed into its custom bag the 20" Dahon folder takes up about 1/2 more space than the Dahon 3sp.
Early 2000s Black "Iron Horse" 26" large kids frame bike. This was a very inexpensive bike at a second-hand shop in 2009 that our youngest daughter really wanted to restore. She calls it her "Black Beauty".
1980s vintage 26" wheel Roadmaster, the Blue Bomber bike. Classic discount store bike that had just been placed out at PTA Thrift shop. Only problems were a flat tire, broken bolt on seat post and an extremely short seat post. Replacement seat post cost more than the bike! Until we acquired the Giant LaFree Lite, it was the most heavily used bike we had.
ebike Plan for WSFamily
Get both of the Currie Technology eBikes working reliably again, start with the Currie Mountain eBike:
DONE: two of the most recent acquisitions are now sold to make way for the ELF
Make sure all bikes are comfortable and can haul some stuff!
Saw a Giant LeFree Lite for about the same as a kit hub motor and controller in 2010, then Via Rapido with Lithium pack in 2011. Yes, the NiMH pack may go any day, but the ElecticBikesNW sold me an old packs to gut and add connectors for external 24v pack.
Currie Mtn eBike upgrade
Test a 48v LiFePO4 ebike battery on the 1kw motor and controller
Table of Contents
W-S Family ebikes
The first ebikes that the WS Family owned were from circa 2001 and once they developed a difficult to diagnose and dangerous problem in the motor controllers, they were relegated to occasional use solely by our resident electrical engineer! The Currie Mountain ebike is a good general purpose bike that we used and just removed the battery pack and ignored the electric motor on left of the bike. In mid-2009, we came across an article that detailed problems with a particular motor control "throttle" commonly used on electric bikes (ebikes) and eScooters, we found the fix to the problems! Since then, we have accumulated 3 more ebikes and an eScooter. Our stable of bikes is summarized here in reverse chronological order that we acquired them.Special event: See some of these ebikes and many other demonstrations and hands-on activities are featured annually at the NC Museum of Life & Science EWeek day. The last event we attended as a family was Saturday 13August2011. The latest event on Saturday 10August2013 was awesome, and our ebike demo was swamped with attention. So much so that for our next event we are planning on two exercise stands and two ebikes!
Powabyke Shopper (2013)
This ebike was in immaculate condition after being transported during a move of a US armed forces officer from the UK back to the US. However no one had ever kept the batteries charged, so the nearly 40lb gel cells would not even take an attempt at a desulphating charge. The 6 speed rapid shifter, and decent other components all test out great, and the motor did respond when I managed to get the batteries to take enough charge to raise the 36v pack to 32v for a minute or two. So we got this ebike in part to allow for the many visitors who needed a step-through design to try out an ebike. Besides, we just can't stand having a good quality ebike tossed out!
Pros:
- Well built ebike for "Shopper" use as advertised
- very usable front basket and rear rack and
- 6 speed Shimano speed shifter and derailleur
- "Step-through" design favored by people who may not be able to raise their leg to ride a mixte frame
- Comfortable seat and upright riding position for the heavier rider
- Very well done user guide and repair manuals available online from powabyke.com
- Easy access to open the battery pack for installing replacement of batteries
- Battery pack has an external test connection for each 12v gel cell
- ideal for installing LiFePO4 gel cell replacements and keeping track of them!
- Replacing the 12v14AH gel cells with LiFePO4 12v10AH, the battery pack is now 16lb!!
- HiPower brand charger includes an internal switch to 120v and accepted standard NEMA cord for 12v North America power outlets
Cons:Currie iZip Via Rapido (2011)
While looking through Craigs List for a replacement motor bracket for the Trailz, we found a local person who had traded for a Currie iZip Via Rapido "mixte" ebike. This ebike has a very nice, quiet hub motor and a very light 24V10Ah Lithium Ion (not LiFePO4) battery pack mounted on a far more aesthetically pleasing, smooth operating, and very balanced bicycle frame. This ebike looked brand new as the owner had traded for this Via Rapido but he wasn't given the keys to remove the battery pack and was told that would be a $450 expense (new battery pack plus keys). He didn't want to keep an ebike, so was willing to sell this $1300+ ebike for a quarter of its retail value.
The very next day after purchase, my daughter was riding this ebike all around town with me and somehow she hit a nail that wedged itself into the sidewall of the rear tire (where the hub motor is). This was the first actual flat on the road on a bike for me in more than 25 years! Many a slow leak, but first flat in a quarter century. Though I carry gear with me to repair bikes, it was a good thing we happened to be within a few blocks of a local bike shop. After I vainly attempted to pump and insert Stans tube goo to re-inflate the rear tire, we walked our bikes over to get the tire repaired at Back Alley Bikes in Chapel Hill. This was a VERY interesting and inexpensive experience. Net is the Via Rapido has a very easily removed rear tire and rear motor connectors. In 2011 Currie changed to a 700 x 38c tire with a pre-loaded slime tube from 26 x 1.375" in prior versions. Now I see why bike repair guys don't like dealing with slime, it's a mess to cleanup!. They recommended Stans sealant instead of Slime, so we had the bike repair guy put in a new tube with Stans sealant. After this we also got a pair of reinforced, belted tires for the Via Rapido.
Upside of the Via Rapido:
- Well placed and very easily removable Lithium Ion battery pack
- Relatively light bike with well integrated, decent quality bicycle components
- When found for a significant discount off list price it is a great value in an ebike with a Lithium power pack
- Hub motor is pretty quiet, and has been very reliable, though low power (250w)
- Tight fit, but Planet Bike Hardcore Hybrid fenders do work (Hardcore ATB fenders do NOT fit)
The only downsides for this ebike:Table of Contents
eZip Mountain Trailz (2012)
The eZip Mountain Trailz and eZip Trailz are selling in the discount stores on sale (Target and WalMart carry these) for under $450. Though you do get what you pay for, these are serviceable ebikes for modest use. We now have a Currie eZip Mountain Trailz ebike and an Ascend stationary trainer so we can actually let people test ride an ebike which they can try out "in place". Note there are several models of "Trailz" ebikes, this is the higher end model with Red, White, and Blue paint and matching RWB logo on the seat. The grey one is the base Trailz model which has a bit less sophisticated components, but thankfully, lacks the brazed on useless side swing out kickstand.
The positives on the Mountain Trailz:
Some downsides to the Mountain Trailz:
This Mountain Trailz has a few problems: status of repairs:
- battery pack wasn't holding but about 25% of expected charge. The battery appeared to be sulphated, running a BatteryMINDer 24v charger which has a desulphating mode for a couple of weeks restored the battery pack to about 65% capacity according to a battery life tester (ELK BLT). The battery pack is easy to open up and install replacement SLA batteries, with just a bit of soldering on the 4 push-on 0.250" battery connectors. These SLA batteries go for about $20 each, two fit in the custom battery pack. So far still using the originals after using reconditioning charger for weeks.
- A set of Clean Republic CR1210 LiFePO4 batteries fit in the pack, but the current ratings on the CR1210 "bamboo" batteries leads us to move them to the Powabyke instead.
- axle cups were not well adjusted, and there was very little grease in any of the main bearings. Could have spend $125 or so to have a full lube at a bike shop, instead working this piece by piece which is taking several months to complete but is a learning experience for my daughter! There was some damage to some of the threaded bearing cups, looks like this was run on a beach. Fortunately it was the adjustable bearing cup on the axle that was damaged and a local bike shop had replacement cups for $2 each.
- tires included were knobby mountain trail tires, awful for using on a trainer. Changed to Biria Puncture resistant tires. Note: most new ebikes that are cruisers or even "mountain bike" styles do NOT use knobby mountain bike tires anymore, substituting a road tire with Slime pre-installed is now standard, though we recommend Stans Sealant over Slime.
- controller connector to motor doesn't allow for easy removal of motor to access the rear wheel. Changing the connectors to Anderson PowerPole 45A and replacing many cable ties with velcro straps now allows for much more rapid removal of the motor assembly.
- the motor gear reducer assembly needed re-lubricating, so added Phil Wood grease to the area where the separate chain for the motor drive and the motor sprocket meet.
Work on the Trailz shows that many more minutes of repair results in a serviceable ebike. With an extra RMB battery pack, range is good and LiFePO4 is an option for ~$200. I used the Trailz for a couple of years as the 2nd most frequently used commuting ebike behind the Giant LaFree even though it has some lower end components.Table of Contents
Giant LaFree Lite (2010)
While researching other light Personal EV options for our family mid 2010, I came across a Craig's List ad for a 2006 Giant LaFree Lite ebike. This is a relatively light, sturdy, and well kept bike that has a novel chain drive EV system and 24V 6.5Ah NiMH battery with custom charger. The 4 speed hub has surprising range of gearing and can accept different rear sprockets for different gearing ranges.Now I had no expectation that the battery would hold a charge long, but it did and during a test ride I found out why this bicycle was so highly regarded when it was introduced. This is a very basic bike but extremely well made. After some quick negotiation the Giant LaFree Lite was added to the stable of WS Family ebikes for 1/5 of it's listed price. This ebike did need a new battery about a year later (early 2011), but it can be adapted to use a NiMH external 24V pack originally purchased for the Currie ebikes. It had no accessories, but now sports a rack, Planet Bike fenders, removable front and rear CatEye lights, and in an attempt to make long rides more comfortable for my hands, a set of Forte T2 Aerobars. The LaFree Lite fits a standard bike rack on a car or bus. This is great for a bike/bus commute since it is about 10lb lighter than the Currie Mtn ebike and the battery is VERY easily removed. I have ordered a cover since the bikes I've carried on the car rack have some dings and minor bent components from road debris.
The picture to the right is of the newer version of same ebike. The only real problem: kickstand is broken off and nearly broke a 7mm hex wrench trying to get the kickstand bolt out using an easy out tool to extract the old kickstand. Then it was an easily solved problem by ordering and installing a rear mount kick stand.
Pros:
- Very well integrated components and smooth to ride bicycle!
- Planet Bike Full ATB fenders fit; the Hardcore ATB do not
- Very well made bicycle
Cons:Currie iZip 500 eScooter (2009)
It turned out there was a bit of maintenance required including a throttle controller that had the same problems noted below with the 2002 Currie Mountain ebike and 2002 eFolder. Cycle9 in Carrboro estimated, and quickly completed about $100 of repairs and installed a new tube in the rear wheel (which is a royal pain to remove), Meanwhile, I rebuilt the two battery packs with (almost) new SLA batteries and the scooter now works great! Except now we see why eScooters are a great novelty, but not terribly practical in a relatively hilly area such as around Chapel Hill, NC. Unlike ebikes where a significant amount of energy to move you and your e-vehicle CAN be delivered by the person, on an eScooter you are very hard pressed to do anything but walk it up hills if the battery runs down. Range is much less than claimed (then again these are almost new SLA batteries), so around 5-7 miles here is tops. Bring a charger with you wherever you go!
Though not terribly practical, the eScooter gets a LOT of attention, especially from middle school kids! We are struggling to figure out how to have eScooter demonstrations to large numbers of people who want to ride the thing! For the ebikes, an exercise stand works great. and allows us to offer in place, safe test rides without actually having the person ride off. We have no equivalent that we've been able to work out for the eScooter; ideas anyone?
Pros:
- Compatible drive train, electronics, and motors with earlier Currie USPD 24V ebikes
- Very sturdy design, actually can carry 165lb person with some groceries in a backpack at 13-15mph for a few miles on level ground
Cons:Currie eFolder (2001)
A replacement 400W motor was installed in 2005 after an "oops" fried the replacement motor and a battery pack was updated with new SLAs in 2009. We also picked up a 1000W (1KW) motor and controller that can accept 24V-48V in early 2011, but this requires customization to install the separate controller and would really benefit from having more than a single 24V battery pack, so we deferred install and testing of the 1KW motor.
Summary of this ebike:
Pros:
- Rear mount battery pack is quickly and easily removed for stowing and carrying
- 7 speed derailleur works well and with motor assist this is a great travel bike for street riding
- Custom rack accepts all the small panniers we've tried
- Pack is easily retrofitted with Lithium or NiMH batteries. We used a Nilar NiMH until that battery developed a leak of internal working fluid.
- "standard" motor mount accepts several other manufacturers motors, though requiring an external controller not needed with the Currie USPD motor
Cons:Table of Contents
Currie Mountain ebike (2001)
In 2001 we also acquired a Currie Technology brand USPD drive Mountain Bike (20in frame, 26in wheels, 3sp front and 7 speed rear derailleur) a 24V12Ah SLA frame mounted battery pack and a black Lollmorgan motor with "Currie Electric Drive" logo (400W). The pictured ebike is the Rayos version of the same ebike and is still available today! This ebike is the most flexible ebike we own! Bests a 6 yr old Trek and an ancient custom Raleigh that I had customized over the years. On this ebike, the motor used to "jump" after turning on the power switch and the trick above doesn't work with the control. With a new throttle control, and a replacement motor (because of unfortunate incident with Currie eScooter power pack noted above), it now works like new. This was our younger daughter's favorite ebike until acquiring the Via Rapido.
As a test, installed the new throttle now working on the Currie eFolder on Mtn ebike and it works even more smoothly on the Mountain ebike. The new throttle completely eliminated the problem with the old control of having to pull back past the "0" position to get the motor to stop. Ordered a second throttle control and a Nilar NiMH battery pack, which requires some small amount of metal cutting to fit in one of the Currie 24V ebikes rack mount battery packs. We will also adapt it for the Giant Lite below.
We had a problem with the original kickstands, which were not able to hold the bike up when loaded and with the auxiliary 24V8Ah pack on the rack, so installed a heavy duty (and heavy) center stand. Doing so required us to avoid using the original brazed-in kick stand plate which broke under the extra weight of the center stand! Until the Currie Via Rapido was acquired, it was hard to keep our younger daughter off this thing! Neat to see she likes it so much, since it does run rings around the LaFree Lite that her Dad usually rides. Given the throttle style of control on the Currie ebikes, it is tempting to ride these like scooters rather than in pedal assist mode.
Pros:
- Excellent torque, and good range due to the large, and relatively heavy frame mounted 24V12Ahr battery pack
- Decent components, including suspension seat post and front fork suspension
- "standard" motor mount accepts several other manufacturers motors, though requiring an external controller not needed with the Currie USPD motor
Cons:Non Electric Bicycles
Over the years, we have retained two other non-electric folding bikes and two bomber bikes that we still use:ebike Plan for WSFamily
More detailed tracking spreadsheet under Google Docs here.
Primary bike upgrade alternatives
Currie Mtn eBike upgrade
- Test a 48v LiFePO4 ebike battery on the 1kw motor and controller
All other plans were stopped when the Organic Transit ELF was ordered!References